Music Blog

Nelly Accused of Sexual Assault By Two More Women in Civil Filing

Just months after Nelly was accused of rape by a Seattle college student, two more women have come forward accusing the rapper of sexual assault. The claims are part of a civil lawsuit brought by 22-year-old Monique Greene, who initially accused Nelly of rape in October.

Nelly, 43, real name Cornell Haynes Jr., was arrested October 6 in Auburn, Washington, after Greene alleged he raped her on his tour bus after a performance. By December, prosecutors dropped the case, citing Greene's unwillingness to cooperate.

But shortly after prosecutors dropped the criminal charges, Greene filed a lawsuit against Nelly for sexual assault and defamation. And in new court papers filed in King County, Washington, this week as part of that case, two additional women allege that Nelly sexually assaulted them.

Both were fans of the rapper. The court documents identify them as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2; the incidents allegedly took place in 2016 and 2017.

The complaint seeks an injunction against “Nelly (and his penis) that prohibits him from engaging in sexual assault against female fans.”

Nelly’s modus operandi, the complaint alleges, was to target women of color “with beautiful faces and curvy figures” in the audience and in the venues.

A member of Nelly’s entourage would invite a woman and her friends to his VIP section, or offer her a ride to an afterparty. He would then make an effort to “separate the woman from her friends,” court papers allege.

Nelly masturbated in front of the women, believing they “were drawn to and could not resist his penis,” the complaint claims. The musician also expressed a desire to ejaculate on the women and “appears to have been particularly attracted to women who were resistant,” according to court documents.

The rapper believed that exposing himself would entitle him to sex, the lawsuit claims, and if a woman resisted, he would allegedly sexually accost or assault her.

Nelly's criminal defense attorney, Clayton-based Scott Rosenblum, has long maintained his client's innocence. "I am suggesting that Nelly seeks a public apology," he wrote in an October statement. "I am further suggesting that Nelly considers whatever legal options are available to him. Nelly thanks his fans for their unwavering loyalty."

“One day, maybe our world will change and 30 women will not be needed to (eventually) speak out against a celebrity who has hurt them in order to be believed,” read a portion of the statement. “But that day has not come.”

Now the new allegations could help show Greene and her lawyers show that her allegations are part of a pattern of assault by the rapper. They contain detailed accounts of the way Nelly allegedly treated two fans — who say they were subjected to aggressive advances, unwanted touching and, in one case, forced oral intercourse.

In the legal filing, Jane Doe 1, a married mother and member of the military, alleges that she was assaulted in June 2016 at a performance in London. She and a friend had purchased VIP tickets that included a meet and greet. Nelly's staff brought the women to a VIP area.

But that space was crowded with fans, so Nelly the asked the two to come with him to a smaller VIP room. The three hung out for two hours before Nelly invited them to an after-party. Nelly then allegedly looked down at Jane Doe 1 before saying, "Let me see it," according to the lawsuit.

The woman then realized that Nelly wanted to have sex with her, the complaint claims. Disgusted, she showed the rapper her wedding ring, saying, "I thought we were too cool for this."

She claims that Nelly then drew in close and put his hand on her thigh, moving it up her dress without her consent. She removed his hand, to which Nelly allegedly responded, “Hold on, hold on, it doesn’t need to be like that.”

Jane Doe 1 then tried to leave the room; Nelly reportedly shut the door. Upon her second attempt to leave, he closed the door again. Security soon arrived and asked if everything was alright, and Jane Doe 1 and her friend left the scene. “Though [Nelly] didn’t get the chance to violate her further, his actions that night were reprehensible,” the lawsuit states.

The second accuser, Jane Doe 2, alleges that Nelly masturbated in front of her and assaulted her until she was able to escape his dressing room.

The incident allegedly took place in December, also in England. It was Jane Doe 2's birthday, and she and some friends celebrated by attending a Nelly concert in Essex. When the show was over, the group waited to get a photo with Nelly. When Jane Doe 2 approached, Nelly asked her to stay so they could talk, according to the lawsuit.

Once the crowd had cleared, Nelly invited Jane Doe 2 to his dressing room. Her friends attempted to follow the two, but security allegedly stopped them — her friends were not invited, the complaint says.

Jane Doe 2 declined to go with the rapper unless her friends were allowed to come as well. Nelly then allegedly brought Jane Doe 2 into an adjoining room with a shower. After some conversation, the woman left to check on her friends.

Nelly followed, the complaint states, and then invited Jane Doe 2 to his tour bus, which was set to go to a party in Nottingham. Jane Doe 2 declined; Nelly then allegedly asked her to speak in the shower room again.

Once the two were again alone, Nelly allegedly pulled out his penis and started masturbating, saying, "You want this dick, don’t you” and claimed that “she wanted him, that every woman wanted him.”

Nelly then allegedly put his hands down Jane Doe 2's shirt and attempted to remove it without her consent. Jane Doe 2 told Nelly she had a husband and kids, but Nelly responded that that didn't matter, she alleges in the filing.

She attempted to get away, but couldn't get out of the room, the lawsuit says. Nelly, meanwhile, was still masturbating, telling her that "she wanted him," according to the complaint.

Nelly then tried to kiss her, she claims, and told her that he wanted to ejaculate on her. She continued to resist. She says that Nelly then put her hand on his penis, whereupon she pulled away, saying, "That’s enough. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

When Nelly allegedly clenched his fist in response, she responded by saying, "Are you going to hit me?” to which he allegedly said, “No, I’m just frustrated. I’m not used to not getting my way. Just do it.”

The lawsuit alleges he then grabbed her by the head and forced his erect penis into her mouth.

Jane Doe 2 jumped back, falling into the shower curtain, before bolting out of the room back to her friends. As she ran out, Nelly allegedly called her a "cunt" before grabbing and threatening her, saying, "I will find you."

The lawsuit alleges that the assault would have continued if Jane Doe 2's friends hadn't been in the room next door.

“She considered going to the police but felt that she would not be believed,” the lawsuit says.

Rosenblum, Nelly's attorney, has held that the accusations against his client are untrue, called the initial charge a "completely fabricated allegation" that "is motivated by greed and vindictiveness."

A representative for Nelly did not immediately return a request for comment.